I love these sweet smelling towelettes not just because they are supremely effective at warding off mosquitos and deer ticks, or because they are easy to use and dry in instantly. I love them mostly because they are not an aerosol spray. Thank you, Avon, for sparing me from chasing my daughter around with a spray can of OFF, shrieking at the cold vapors.

Here in the northeast, deer ticks, in particular, are ever prevalent. Also, I am that one person at the al fresco dinner party who gets attacked by mosquitos while everyone else enjoys their margaritas. This summer, I’ll be keeping these babies in a basket on the back porch next to my citronella candles.

I was applying foundation the other day when Julia asked me this question, her eyes wide, tracking the dramatic swirling and buffing required to achieve a flawless finish of Bare Minerals.

We were sitting together at the kitchen counter, my mission control. I am defined at this kitchen counter: I prepare meals here, I take conference calls here, I do a wicked smokey eye here. I believe Julia thinks whatever I do here is pretty vital.

While I was blending and concealing, Julia was building a house out of Legos next to me. I mentally fumbled through possible responses as the question hung in the air. “Why do I wear makeup, honey? Because I look like a tired hag without it,” wanted to roll off my tongue, but I held it back. “Because I prefer a stronger brow on my face,” though honest, was probably not the way to go, either. “Ok…because once, when a boyfriend saw me without makeup, he asked ‘Where’d your face go?’”  Definitely not the way to go. Read more

My family is still recovering from the never-ending winter we had here in New York City. Between the arctic outside air and the dry indoor heat we used to combat it, there was simply no way to avoid dry skin. We even used a humidifier religiously, took fish oil everyday and drank plenty of water (or hot tea, I should say). While my husband and I suffered from the dreaded winter itch, my two girls developed flakiness and some dermatitis—fine little bumps on their arms and legs.

This Badger Baby Oil turned out to be the ultimate antidote. It’s a soothing, deliciously aromatic combination of calendula, chamomile, jojoba and olive oil. What I love about it is that it absorbs so quickly—you can use it after the bath and you don’t have to wrestle to put pajamas on sticky skin. I noticed an improvement in my daughters’ skin within days. I even use it on their faces—it’s so pure and simple, their sensitive skin has had no reaction.  If your kids are prone to flare ups of any kind, including cradle cap and diaper rash, this is the perfect oil to use year-round to keep skin supple and moisturized. I will definitely be using it after long days at the beach or in the pool.

I’ve been using it on my arms and legs, too. It feels so luxurious, and I just love the glass bottle and pretty packaging.

A note on the brand: Badger is a wonderful family-owned, family-friendly business. They encourage babies at work! They support meaningful social and environmental initiatives. I encourage you to explore the rest of their wonderful products—I also love their bug repellent, lip balms and grown-up products.

My older daughter was practically bald until she was three. She had more hair in the back of her head than the front, and it moved in mysterious ways around a cowlick on the right and a severe part on the left. She didn’t have enough hair for pigtails or bows. She refused to wear hats. And when the humidity went up, her hair did things I had only seen on the heads of puppets. Bad toddler hair is kind of like baby acne: you just have dig deep and wait for them to age out of it.  Read more

Both my girls have dry skin prone to redness and dermatitis. I have to be so careful about the products I put on their sensitive little bodies.

Mustela’s Stelatopia No-Rinse Cleansing Water has been a staple in my house since my big girl was a baby, almost seven years ago—which means this might be one of the most enduring beauty products I’ve ever owned!

This magical mulit-tasker can be used on a baby’s diaper area, especially useful if you’re dealing with diaper rash. I like to use it on my toddler’s body on days we skip a bath. And I use it every morning on both my girls to wipe away sleepy faces. It’s so much gentler than any baby wipe and truly nourishing for young skin.

Think of it like water, with a boost.